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Friday, September 2, 2011

Fake FIR produced against policemen involved in Hunza shooting

GILGIT: The Law Minister and speaker of the Gilgit Baltistan produced a fake First Information Report (FIR) against the responsible police officials who killed a father and son and severely injuring five persons during a protest, a letter published by The Asian Humen Rights Commission (AHRC) reveals.

"I am shocked to know that speaker and provincial minister on law have cheated the people by showing a fake FIR against police officials who were responsible for the killings. In no way can it be acceptable that government functionaries gave falsified information to their own people to appease the law enforcement agencies for their inhuman crimes and taking the lives of people." reads the statement of Baba Jan, activist of labour Party, published by AHRC.

On August 11, around 200 persons were protesting during the visit of the Chief Minister of the province to Aliabad against the delay in the payment of compensation to 25 affected families of landslides near Attabad lake. In an effort to keep the protestors away from the place where the chief minister was staying the police baton charged and used tear gas. They also opened fire with live ammunition at the protestors. As a result one young man, Afzal Baig (22), was shot and injured. He later died in the hospital. His father, Sher Ullah Baig (50), tried to stop the police from further shooting but in complete arrogance the opened fire and killed him on the spot.

When the news of the deaths reached Aliabad and other areas of Hunza the people came out into the streets and enraged protestors attacked the Aliabad police station and set it on fire. They also torched the office of the Deputy Commissioner. The law enforcement agencies again used baton charges and opened fire, they also arrested many of the protestors.

It has been learned that to calm the protestors the government officials lied to the people fraudulently producing a false FIR against the police officials. The Speaker of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) assembly, Mr. Wazeer Baig, Law Minster Mr. Wazeer Shakeel and another member of the assembly apologized to the protestors and openly admitted the brutality and negligence of the police. They also showed the photo copy of a false FIR registered against the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Baber, and other police officials and promised that they were all arrested. The GB Government used this tactic only to cheat the people. In fact after three days they started a crackdown against the political activists which is still continues.

After a week of the incident, on August 19, a joint operation was conducted by the Gilgit-Baltistan police, Rangers and Northern Squad and houses in Aliabad were searched. More than 20 persons were arrested; among them were six activists of the Pakistan Labour Party. The arrests are continuing and more than 50 persons have been arrested since then. The arrested persons were charged with many cases including article 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and also some sections of Islamic law like Harba, were framed. Police is also searching for one activist, Mr. Baba Jan of the Labour Party, and for that reasons many people are detained illegally in police custody.

It is very shocking that instead of taking legal action against the officials of the law enforcement agencies the provincial government's responsible functionaries are trying to cheat the people by producing fake FIR against police officials who killed the father and son.